Mississauga Literary Festival
About this Event
From inspiring author talks and panels to interactive workshops and family-friendly activities, the Mississauga Literary Festival brings readers, writers, and storytellers of all ages for a day of creativity and learning.
This is a drop-in event, but your registration will give you access to regular updates leading to the Mississauga Literary Festival.
https://youtube.com/shorts/K0ju4ifeU1g?si=619kbTQcGK4gSgSE
Program Listing
Program Listing
🕑: 10:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Exhibitors
🕑: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Bookish Buttons
Info: Get creative with button making! Make your own custom buttons using an assortment of pre-selected literary designs. All Ages. Maker Studio (Level 0)
🕑: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Makerspace Open House
Info: Drop-in and discover all the equipment and technology available through the Mississauga Library! All Ages. Maker Studio (Level 0)
🕑: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Author Spotlights
Info: Join us for an engaging Author Spotlight event featuring talented local authors, each bringing their unique voices and stories to the page.
Our line-up includes Cressida S-D, Eraj Zaidi, Malon Edwards, Twisha Keswani, Gia Chung, Asha Ponnachan, April Salisbury-White, Julie A. Christiansen, and Allen W. McLean. All Ages. The Stage (Level 0).
🕑: 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Storytime with Special Guests: Farah Qaiser, Hajer Nakua, and Jennifer Maruno
Info: An interactive program with stories, songs, rhymes and early literacy activities. All Ages. Program Room 1A (Level 1)
🕑: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Our City's Most Notorious Criminals with Bryan Ho & Nicole Mair
Info: Bryan Ho and Nicole Mair, authors of the true-crime book Mississauga Confidential, explore some of the most shocking crimes and most notorious criminals from our city's history. They will discuss how an anthology of historic crimes became a biography of a city, charting Mississauga from its beginnings as a group of towns and villages to the city we know today. Ages 16+. Program Room 2A (Level 2).
🕑: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Theatre, Film, Television, and Magazines with Sean Minogue
Info: Dreaming of writing professionally? Not sure which industry is right for your writing career? This workshop addresses the essentials for getting started in a variety of mediums, from theatre and film to books and magazines. You’ll gain an appreciation of the unique writing challenges for each, common industry quirks, and how to create meaningful career opportunities. Ages 13+. Program Room 2B (Level 2).
🕑: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Turning Journaling into Story Writing with Ambreen Butt-Hussain
Info: Join Ambreen for a fun and interactive session about turning journaling into story writing. Participants will think of a funny memory and learn how to turn it into a riveting story. They’ll use their experiences and imagination to create the beginnings of a story in written or picture format. Ages 6-12. Program Room 1B (Level 1).
🕑: 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
From Plate to Poem: Writing about Food with Sneha Subramanian Kanta
Info: In “Eating Alone”, Li-young Lee writes “I’ve pulled the last of the year’s young onions. / The garden is bare now. The ground is cold, / brown and old.” In this workshop, Sneha Subramanian Kanta will take you through poems which turn toward sustenance and nourishment to write your own about food. This is a generative workshop aimed at writing new poems. Join our sixth Poet Laureate to explore this culinary journey on the page. Ages 9+. Program Room 3A.
🕑: 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Re/Writing Connection by Writers Collective of Canada
Info: A spoken word event featuring magnificent stories from the Writers Collective of Canada's Peel community. Join us as we celebrate the brave voices that have been empowered through writing together! All Ages. The Stage (Level 0)
🕑: 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Crime Writing with Alice Fitzpatrick, Angela van Breemen, and Steve Burrows
Info: Join authors Steve Burrows, Alice Fitzpatrick, and Angela van Breemen for an engaging discussion about the art of crime writing. Each author writes in a distinctive style with unique perspectives. Steve Burrows is known for his birder mysteries, Alice Fitzpatrick writes traditional mystery novels, short fiction, including the Meredith Island Mysteries while Angela van Breemen blends crime fiction with paranormal suspense. Ages 13+. Program Room 2A (Level 2).
🕑: 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Bring the Action to Life with Peter Thomas Pontsa
Info: How do you make an action scene feel real? Author Peter Thomas Pontsa draws on his experience as a former race car driver, martial artist, and firearms student to demonstrate how firsthand knowledge can transform action writing. Through examples from his Inspector William Fox novels, he explores writing movement through the senses, creating purposeful action, building suspense in chase scenes, and showing character through decisions made under pressure. Learn how to move beyond simply describing what happens and make readers experience the action alongside your characters. Ages 13+. Program Room 2B (Level 2).
🕑: 12:30 PM - 02:30 PM
The Ampersand Review Issue #10 Launch
Info: Join us for author readings and literary celebration. We can't wait to share this issue's collection of poetry, short stories, and non-fiction works by a host of incredibly talented Canadian writers. Program Room 3B (Level 3).
🕑: 01:30 PM - 02:30 PM
Author Spotlights
Info: Join us for an engaging Author Spotlight event featuring talented local authors, each bringing their unique voices and stories to the page.
Our line-up includes Paul Edward Costa, Christian Baines, Shannon Terrell, David Neil Lee, and A. M. Porter. All Ages. The Stage (Level 0)
🕑: 01:30 PM - 02:30 PM
A Celebration of Storytelling: Kritika H. Rao, Sonya Singh, and Tanaz Bhathena
Info: Three authors discuss the joys and challenges of writing South Asian characters and stories across a variety of genres and age ranges – from science fiction and fantasy to contemporary romance – for young readers and adults alike. Together, they'll explore representation, identity, the creative process and the power of storytelling. Ages 13+. Program Room 2A (Level 2).
🕑: 01:30 PM - 02:30 PM
Series Planning: Structure, Continuity, and Growth with Cynthia DÃaz del Sola
Info: What happens when someone accidentally begins with Book Two, Season Three, or the second game in a series? Do they feel lost, or does the story welcome them into the world and leave them wanting more? Using my Salsa Analysis storytelling framework, this workshop explores how stories can function at two levels: locally, as a satisfying individual experience, and globally, as part of a larger narrative. Through seven storytelling “ingredients” (Structure, Flow, Emotion, Detail and Continuity, Identity, Stakes, and Payoff), we will examine how each installment can accomplish its own Narrative Objective while strengthening the larger series around it. Ages 13+ Program Room 2B (Level 2).
🕑: 01:30 PM - 02:30 PM
The Craft of Writing a Cookbook with Judy Lee and Ozoz Sokoh
Info: Join Ozoz Sokoh and Judy Lee for a discussion about the craft and process of writing a cookbook, from concept to completion. Learn about self-publishing and traditional publishing including working with agents, coaches, and more. Ages 13+. Program Room 3A (Level 3).
🕑: 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM
Green Screen Photography: Be on a Book Cover
Info: Step into the spotlight and become the star of your own book cover! Using green screen technology, staff will place you in a fun, book-inspired scene and create a photo worthy of your own bestseller. All Ages. Photo & Video Studio (Level 0).
🕑: 02:00 PM - 02:30 PM
Storytime with Special Guests: Alexis Young, Analene Go, and Rick Duchalski
Info: An interactive program with stories, songs, rhymes and early literacy activities. All Ages. Program Room 1A (Level 1).
🕑: 02:30 PM - 03:00 PM
Story Slam: Writing Contest Awards Ceremony
Info: Celebrate the winners of our annual youth writing competition, inspired by this year’s theme, “The Day the Trees Remembered.” All Ages. Noel Ryan Auditorium (Level 1).
🕑: 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM
Special Author Talks featuring Jess Janz
Info: In this keynote, Jess Janz, author of The Table Where We Meet and host of Dinner with Strangers explores the stories that shape us. Audience will leave inspired to approach books and conversations with curiosity, recognizing that most meaningful stories we'll ever encounter may belong to the person sitting right beside us. Ages 13+. Noel Ryan Auditorium (Level 1).
Exhibitor Listing
🕑: 10:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Exhibitors (Level 1)
Info: Ambreen Butt-Hussain, Analene Go, Alexis Young, Book Sale: A Different Drummer Bookstore, Calyssa Erb, Claudia Dávila, Deborah Dinshaw, Elaine Kachala, Farah Qaiser, Farida Zaman, Jennifer Maruno, Joanne Kwok, Kathleen Gauer, Laxmi Balaji, Lis Xu, Mikaela Lucido, Rebecca Choy, Rick Duchalski, Treslyn Vassel, Veena P. Sivan, Victoria Daley
🕑: 10:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Exhibitors (Level 2)
Info: A. M. Porter, Alice Fitzpatrick, Angela van Breemen, Asha Ponnachan, Brain Lag, Christian Baines, Cressida S-D, Cynthia DÃ-az del Solar, DL Croisette, Frank Paul Beghin, Gia Chung, Howard Wong, J.J. Thorn, Joseph A. Monachino, Joy San, Kritika H. Rao, Louise Ells, Malon Edwards, Olive Rose Steele, Peter Thomas Pontsa, Rocco Rossi, Rochelle Wolf, Sarena Nanua, Sasha Nanua, Sean Minogue, Shaukat Ajmeri, Steve Burrows, Tanaz Bhathena, Twisha Keswani, Y.M. Pang
🕑: 10:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Exhibitors (Level 3)
Info: Alene Sen, Allen W. McLean, April Salisbury-White, Azfar Samin, Bryan Ho, David Neil Lee, Eraj A. Zaidi, Judy Lee, Julie A. Christiansen, Malabika Ray Choudhury, Meena Chopra, Helen Uong/Miranda Wong, Nicole Mair, Ozoz Sokoh, Paul Edward Costa, Rabih El Khodr, Serina D'Cruz Lewis, Shannon Terrell, Sneha Subramanian Kanta, Susan Ksiezop
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
CAD 0.00
